Code rolee

[NurseYe]

As a new nurse sometimes i don't know what to do in a code situation. I find myself just standing there and everyone else participates. What can I do to get more hands on and act like I know what I am doing?

[jalyc RN]

And remember, no one knows it all to begin with. Experience and practice are the best teachers. KNOW your supplies locations and crash cart for when seconds count. Try to work with a nurse that you admire his/her methods, knowledge, and personality. Pick their brain and run through scenarios in your mind before they are real life.

Reread all of these comments again in one year. lol You will be amazed at how far you have come in what you will use for the rest of your life.

[pednursedeb]

ACLS made me more confident. Being the runner keeps you out of the room too much to learn. I do think you learn a lot as recorder,but you need ACLS and experience in codes first. If you are given the opportunity to observe a code, offer to relieve the person doing compressions. This will get you more comfortable as a participant in the code. You will become more confident as time goes on.

[binary]

Safety. Safety. Safety.

During my first codes I looked for opportunities for the environment to be safe. I moved furniture out of the way. Anticipated safety hazards. Made sure gloves were available and gave them to code staff when they realized they hadn't donned their gloves.

All code patients will be hooked up to IV so get a bag of Normal Saline primed and ready to go.

Stuff is flying everywhere during a code. Pick up garbage from off the floor or kick it off to the side so it doesn't become a hazard; ie. catheter and needle caps. If syringes for needles are retractable after use, be there to put them in the sharps container immediately.

Keep your ears open for supplies needed. Doc will call out what they need and you can go get it. Repeat back that you are grabbing the supplies. You know the stock room better than the code team and time is of the essence. If you hear the doctor ordering a 16 French catheter with urometer, you can say I'm grabbing the catheter supplies and will be right back.

If the room is shared, push the other patient beds as far away as possible from the code to give more space for the code team and equipment. Remember to lock those moved beds right away. Angle the bed if necessary so that the bed with the Pt coding can be wheeled out to ICU/Stepdown. Draw the curtain between Pt coding and room-mates in same room.

Remember to don your gloves right away too. Things can be messy with bodily fluids.

Other things you can grab for a code:

- oxygen tubing

- biohazard bag for specimens (they'll be drawing blood; once done and labels signed, you can make sure the blood gets sent off to the lab STAT)

- restraints if the Pt has "come around" but is resisting the code teams interventions like intubation or IV lines/catheter

[ICUPrincessNurse]

When in doubt- record. Gives you a chance to learn the flow of experienced coders and know what comes next. Plus no one ever wants to record.

Also...if the room is totally full- don't go in. They have enough people. It's already enough chaos. Check on the other patients in the area. I've walked in on a room where the patient was hypotensive because their levo ran out because that nurse was helping with a code. Plus...I HATE running a code with 87 bajillion people in the room. I can't hear anyone and the process isn't as smooth.